Bears and Humans, a Neanderthal tale. Reconstructing uncommon behaviors from zooarchaeological evidence in Southern Europe

Cave bear (Ursus spelaeus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), and Neanderthals were potential competitors for environmental resources (shelters and food) in Europe. In order to reinforce this view and contribute to the ongoing debate on late Neanderthal behavior, we present evidence from zooarchaeological and taphonomic analyses of bear bone remains discovered at Rio Secco Cave and Fumane Cave in northeast Italy, an extended geographic area north of the Adriatic Sea. The remains from both caves come from layers dated to 49-42 ky cal. BP, and suggest close interactions between humans and bears, with data not only limited to the association of Mousterian lithic artifacts with numerous bear remains, but also the detection of clearly preserved traces of human modification such as cut and percussion marks, which enable a reconstruction of the main steps of fur recovery and the butchering process. Examples of Neanderthal bear exploitation are extremely sporadic in Europe, and Grotta Rio Secco and Grotta Fumane can be considered rare cases of remain accumulations generated by the human predation of bears of varied age classes during or near the end of hibernation. All of this evidence suggests that bears had a strategic role in the nomadic economy of Neanderthal hunting groups

Subsistence of early anatomically modern humans in Europe as evidenced in the Protoaurignacian occupations of Fumane Cave, Italy

Documenting the subsistence strategies developed by early modern humans is relevant for understanding the success of their dispersal throughout Eurasia. Today, we know that there was not a single colonization event and that the process was progressive while coping with the MIS3 abrupt climatic oscillations. Modern humans expanded into the continent by adapting to different topographic situations and by exploiting resources in diverse ecological niches. The northern part of Italy is one of the first European regions where early modern humans are documented. Here, we present the subsistence regimen adopted by the Protoaurignacian groups in two different levels in Fumane Cave based on archaeozoological data. New radiocarbon dates confirm an overlap between Uluzzian and Protoaurignacian occupations, around 42 and 41,000 cal BP, and reveal that modern humans occupied the cave from GI10 to GS9, the last level coinciding with the Heinrich Event 4. The data indicate seasonal site occupations during late spring/summer and that prey exploitation was focused mostly on ibex and chamois, killed in nearby areas. The whole faunal assemblage suggests the presence of early modern humans in a cold environment with mostly open landscapes and patchy woodlands. The estimation of net primary productivity (NPP) in Fumane, compared with other contemporaneous Italian sites, reflects how the NPP fluctuations in the Prealpine area, where Fumane is located, affected the biotic resources in contrast to known Mediterranean sites. From a pan- European perspective, the spatiotemporal fluctuation of the NPP versus the subsistence strategies adopted by Protoaurignacian groups in the continent supports rapid Homo sapiens dispersal and resilience in a mosaic of environments that were affected by significant climate changes.This research is funded by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (Grant Agreement No. 818299‐SUBSILIENCE project (https:// www. subsi lience. eu). G. T. and M.V.C. were funded by the former project and later by a Juan de la Cierva Formación Grant (Ref: FJC2019-040637-I and FJC2021-047601-I) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Research and fieldwork at Fumane Cave are coordinated by the University of Ferrara (M. Peresani) in the framework of a project supported by the Ministry of Culture—SAPAB Archaeological Superintendence, public institutions (Lessinia-Regional Natural Park, B.I.M. Adige, Fumane Municipality), private associations and companies, and in collaboration with Italian and European research centres. The authors thank all the colleagues from EvoAdapta Group for the constant enriching discussions and Prof. L. G. Straus for his edition of the English in the accepted version. Finally, we are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions which have helped us to improve the manuscript

Frequentazioni paleolitiche nel territorio di Cupra Marittima

[italiano]: L’opuscolo offre un quadro esaustivo delle testimonianze preistoriche presenti nel territorio di Cupra Marittima, molto importanti per definire il livello tecnologico e sociale raggiunto nelle località delle Marche meridionali frequentate da gruppi umani fra 2.580.000 e 11.700 anni fa. [english]: The booklet offers an exhaustive picture of the prehistoric remains testify in the territory of Cupra Marittima, very important for defining the technological and social level reached in the localities of the southern Marche frequented by human groups between 2,580,000 and 11,700 years ago

The Uluzzian in the north of Italy: insights around the new evidence at Riparo Broion

In attempt to enlighten the debate on the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition, this work contributes new data from a yet unpublished site, Riparo Broion in the north-east of Italy. Studies confirm the presence of the Uluzzian technocomplex embedded in an archaeological sequence which includes Mousterian, Gravettian and Epigravettian. These layers have yielded finds of bone and lithic technology, shell beads, engraved portable art and the use of red mineral pigments, which make this archive a unique case for evaluating the implications of cultural dynamics in Northern Italy 44.0\u201342.4 ky BP. The diversity of the faunal assemblage recovered in layers 1f and 1g is representative of the different environments surrounding the site, with ungulates being targeted for hunting and consumption. The lithic assemblage records a high fragmentation rate due to the extensive use of the bipolar knapping technique, responsible for a large variety of splintered pieces and associated chips which also affected the backed pieces, lunates and end-scrapers. The features of the bone tools, as well as those of the marine and freshwater beads, echo the technique used in the Uluzzian in the south of Italy, confirming the geographic spread of this technocomplex in the North Adriatic region, as previously envisaged at Grotta Fumane. However, comparisons between these two sites stimulate a discussion around the possible driving forces responsible for the differences observed in technological, typological and structural lithic assemblages. A definitive scenario for the Middle Palaeolithic\u2013Upper Palaeolithic transition in this region of Southern Europe is ongoing and Riparo Broion is adding key contributions

Middle and Upper Paleolithic occupations of Fumane Cave (Italy): a geoarchaeological investigation of the anthropogenic features

Here we present the results of a microcontextual analysis of purported combustion features recovered from Middle and Upper Paleolithic occupations at the cave site of Fumane, Italy. Our analyses, which integrate micromorphology with organic petrology, show that only a few of the features represent primary, intact hearths; some of them show evidence for various phases of anthropogenic reworking, either through trampling or sweeping and dumping. Several of the features are multi-layered and reflect a complex formation history of various activities related to combustion and site maintenance. Many appear to be the remnants of occupation horizons only partially preserved and peripherally related to combustion. Within several of the intact hearths from the Mousterian, we were able to identify variable fuel sources in different features, implying a degree of flexibility in the fuel-selection strategies of the Neanderthal occupants of Fumane. In this study we design a classification system of the anthropogenic features and also conduct a spatial analysis, through which we can infer diachronic patterns in the frequency and intensity of site occupation and the spatial distribution of activities. We note a decrease in frequency of combustion features throughout the Mousterian which continues into the Uluzzian. The features associated with the Protoaurignacian occupation, in contrast with those from the Mousterian, are multi-layered and well-defined. We argue that these trends, which correspond with other trends in artefact frequency, imply changes in the settlement dynamics of the site during the transition from the last Neanderthal occupation of the cave to the arrival of modern humans.publishedVersio

Late Neanderthal subsistence at San Bernardino Cave (Berici Hills-Northeastern Italy) inferred from zooarchaeological data

North-eastern Italy is a key region for the study of Neanderthal way of life over a wide timeframe, as attested by over 20 Middle Palaeolithic multi-layered sites in caves, rock shelters and at open-air sites. Here we contribute to increase our understanding of Neanderthal subsistence strategies through the study of the faunal assemblage of Unit II dated to the first half of Marine Isotopic Stage 3 (MIS3), from San Bernardino Cave. The site is located in the Berici Hills, at low altitude near the edge of a karstic plateau dissected by valleys and delimited by the alluvial lowland. Zooarchaeological and taphonomic analyses suggest that Neanderthal groups were the primary agent for the accumulation of mammal remains, and that hunting mainly focused on ungulates, such as Cervus elaphus and Capreolus capreolus. Forested environment sustained by mild climatic conditions is also inferred by micromammals evidence. Our data suggest a selective transport of the prey - even for the roe deer - which might have implied a long distance transportation from the site. Also, it might have been related to the age of the prey or to multiple preys hunted in a single episode. The Bayesian method applied to the analysis of skeletal profiles shows a high level of attrition at the site and a greater degree of processing appendicular skeleton. Neanderthals used San Bernardino Cave as a place where carcasses processing was finalized, after an initial process at the kill-site, and then prepared for consumption. Also, discarded bones were used for lithic manufacturing. The San Bernardino evidence can be compared with productive systems for exploiting available ungulate game from other regional-scale MIS 3 Middle Palaeolithic sites.Excavations and studies at San Bernardino Cave are coordinated by the University of Ferrara (M.P.) and supported by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Tourism and Veneto Archaeological Superintendency (SABAPVerona, Vicenza and Rovigo), public institutions (Veneto Region - Department for Cultural Heritage, Province of Vicenza, Municipality of Mossano). Author contributions: M.P. conceived research; V.L., G.T. and M.R. analysed data; A.B.M.A. supported new radiocarbon dating; S.B. and M.R. are supported by the ERC-CoG Horizon 2020 project SUCCESS (Ref 724046 - website: http://www.erc-success.eu/); G.T. and M.P. wrote the paper with inputs from A.B.M.A., M.R. and S.B. The authors want to acknowledge Lucía Agudo Pérez for graphic support. Radiocarbon dating has been funded by the ERC-CoG Horizon 2020 project SUBSILIENCE (Ref 818299 - website: https://www.subsilience.eu/) led by A. B. Marín-Arroyo

NEW EARLY HOLOCENE SETTLEMENT IN CENTRAL ITALY: THE MESOLITHIC SITE OF CONTRADA PACE (MARCHE REGION)

Early Holocene hunter-gatherer settlements are spread throughout Italy and testify to the exploitation of very different landscapes. Nonetheless, their preservation state is not always exceptional. This is not the case for Contrada Pace, an archaeological site recently discovered on a terrace of the Chienti river in central-eastern Italy. This paper reports on the geomorphological, pedo-stratigraphic, and archaeological record of one of the most complete and well-preserved Early Mesolithic open-air sites in Italy and southern Europe. Micro-stratigraphic excavations extended over more than 500 square meters have exposed a buried paleosol with anthropogenic features, which contained thousand lithic artefacts and organic remains framed in the context of a primary forest. These findings appear clustered in different functional areas that yielded multiple structured features. The field evidence integrated by radiocarbon dating and archaeobotanical, archaeomalacological and zooarchaeological data allowed to propose a first interpretation of the general structure of the site and the most significant featuresThe archaeological excavation of the site was carried out by ArcheoLAB (Macerata, Italy) in the framework of construction activities promoted by the Province of Macerata and the Municipality of Tolentino. DV has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement number: 886476 - LiMPH - H2020-MSCA-IF-2019). The archaeobotanical study and 14C dates were funded by the European Research Council (ERC) as part of the Research and Innovation program of the European Community Horizon 2020 (HIDDEN FOODS no.639286 to EC)